I know this will come as a shock -- a shock! -- to some of you, but little kids have sexual curiosity. They explore. They play "doctor." And, gasp, they masturbate. In fact, nine students at a San Diego middle school have been suspended after other classmates reported that they were watching porn on their cell phones and masturbating.
Reportedly, this is an all-boys school. Since it's middle school, I guess the boys are around 11-13 years old. Besides the fact that kids are tech-savvy enough these days to stream porn on their phones, is there anything really shocking about this? Movies are chock full of scenes of boys around this age doing the deed with dad's well-worn Playboy stash.
I'm certainly not saying the boys shouldn't be suspended. (Read that again.) School is a time for learning -- and not about one's genitals. It's a time for math, English, science -- not for Jenna Jameson. And if, as the report says, several students raised their hands to report the activity but the teacher ignored them while continuing to read a book (maybe it was Fifty Shades of Grey?) then this is wrong. Obvs! I get that!
But this is natural behavior, y'all. I bet a few of you -- at least a few -- have found evidence of your precious offspring doing the solo mambo. My sincerest hope is that these kids don't get a thorough drubbing at home by their parents for what is natural activity. Do we really need these kids growing up with all kinds of emotional trauma around sexual activity? That leads to no good.
If I were the parents of these children, I would explain calmly but firmly that there is a time and a place for figuring out the pleasures of the body. And that time and place is NOT the classroom. Then I'd do some research on what books about sex to hand the curious tykes so they're getting their information from somewhere other than YouPorn. (I just did a search on "children's sex books" -- yikes!)
What would you say to your kid if he or she was caught masturbating in school?
Image via Stephen DePolo/Flickr
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Comments 49
no, you can't hide/protect kids from everything. But not allowing them to have it sends a message that it is innapropriate and that you *gasp* have expectations of them. Then when thay find the porn they will look away, or least view it in PRIVATE. And THAT is what the big deal is. No one cares that these kids were jacking off, but they didn't even bother to take it to a bathroom stall.
Exactly my point.
My 4 kids probably will see porn before they are 18. But they will NOT see it in my house! They will not think that taking it to school is okay, or that rubbing one off in public is normal.
I expect my children to be productive, respectful members of society. Not perverts.
I am proud to say, that I have the only 8yr old boy I know, that can hold a conversation with a breastfeeding mother, and look her in the EYES ONLY.
My son has not been taught to objectify women, nor will I condone objectification of anyone, from any of my kids.
Mutts, I think that you and I are proof that people can have completely different lifestyles (your head appears to be partially shaved, my hair falls down my back, for example) and probably political views and still stand shoulder-to-shoulder on some issues. You can watch my son ANYTIME!! If I lived in CA, of course. Or you were in IA....
I think it's ridiculous to think that if you require standards of your children, if you don't allow them to listen to certain songs ("Sexy and I know it", Rhianna's "S&M"), that you're "sheltering" them, and they're going to backlash on you and be out of control later in life. No. Sorry. That's called p-a-r-e-n-t-i-n-g. There are plenty of songs that come on the radio that get shut off after the first measure. Our TV rarely turns channel from PBS or Qubo. We simply DON'T watch prime-time TV. Is my son sheltered? Absolutely not. He listens to TONS of other music. He watches too much TV as it is. He's allowed on the internet - under my supervision. He can also build a campfire on his own, and navigate himself thru the woods.
Giving kids free rein "because they're gonna see/hear/do it eventually" is an absolute cop-out. Yeah, he's gonna see naked women in sexual positions (he already sees me naked all the time), but he will know that there is a time, a place, and a respectful way to view those women. And sitting in a classroom is NOT it.
Kids, PEOPLE, can pleasure themselves. Fine. But these children knew better. And if they didn't, then there's something very very wrong here, because that's something their parents should have communicated to them years ago.
If my kids wanted porn in my house (which is a LONG way off) id tell them go have fun. I have parental controls on EVERYTHING electronic in my house.. if the tv shows rating is any higher than Y7 then they are blocked. all my computers require passwords as well. And trust me there is no "magazines" in my house either. My hubby subscribed once and I shreaded each and every one. Call it sheltering my kids because i dont beleive that they need tecnology to survive, i call It parenting the way my grandparents were parented. WITH RESPECT for one another.